logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2021
17m 27s

The collapse of Enron: Did we learn the ...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

The collapse of the US energy giant Enron remains one of the most dramatic scandals in modern capitalism, but 20 years on did we learn any of the lessons from the fall of a corporate giant? The BBC's Lesley Curwen covered the story every step of the way back in the 2000's right up to the company's collapse, and the jailing of some of its most senior executives. She takes Ed Butler back through Enron's tale of deceit, intimidation and collapse with archive and fresh interviews with some of the scandal's key figures. And Ed hears from Dr Howard Schilit, of Schilit Forensics accountancy firm, a witness at Enron's Senate hearing and a man with a serious warning for the corporate world, two decades on from the Enron scandal.

Picture Credit: Getty Images

Up next
Yesterday
Power Players: Can Premier League transfer spending keep breaking records?
We dig into the finances behind "the beautiful game" after English football's Premier League just spent $4.7 billion on new players. What's behind football's richest competition an dis its success sustainable.Presenters: Will Bain and Rahul Tandon Producer: Rebecca Smyllie(Image: ... Show More
20m 57s
Apr 2026
Headspace: from mindfulness app to military partner
Headspace started life as a mindfulness app. Now it's partnering with the US Navy and investing in artificial intelligence for mental health support.The company's CEO Tom Pickett speaks to us about therapy, the increasing role of technology, and tackling burnout at scale.If you'd ... Show More
17m 28s
Apr 2026
Anthropic: the $300bn AI firm at war with the White House
Anthropic’s rise from startup to one of the world’s leading players in artificial intelligence has been staggering, but so in recent weeks has been its row with the US Government.Today, we look at that journey to becoming a 380 billion dollar company, ask why Claude has become on ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
How Enron Fooled the World
Until 2007, the largest single corporate bankruptcy was Enron, a $67 billion energy trading company. Its decline was breathtaking, and while it’s a fascinating story of corporate malfeasance and greed, it’s also about the lives of ruined workers.See omnystudio.com/listener for pr ... Show More
59m 17s
Jun 2024
The Enron Scandal Pt. 1
Whether you know the full story or not, you’ve probably heard the name Enron before. In the summer of 2000, the energy company, renowned for their innovation, was on top of the world with a market value of almost $70 billion. But a year later, they filed for what was, at the time ... Show More
54m 6s
Nov 2022
Enron
The FTX fraud has dominated headlines now for weeks, during which we’ve debated if and how Acquired could uniquely add to the conversation. Then we realized there was an angle so perfect that we had to drop everything and enter Acquired research overdrive: Enron. Travel back with ... Show More
3h 25m
Dec 2024
The Enron Illusion
Enron—the seventh-largest company in the U.S.—filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 2nd December, 2001, marking the dramatic end of a business empire once hailed as unstoppable.  What once looked like a financial juggernaut turned out to be a house of cards built on illusory profit ... Show More
13m 3s
Jun 2024
The Enron Scandal Pt. 2
The Enron scandal shook Americans’ faith in their institutions. It also inspired a few different conspiracy theories. With the help of journalist Bethany McLean, Connor and Carter discuss the theories, Enron’s legacy, and the impact the scandal has had on how many of us view the ... Show More
44m 11s
Apr 2021
Enron Part I – Skilling, Lay, Fastow, and Causey, Four Horsemen of the Energypocalypse
20 years ago one of the largest corporations in the U.S - an energy trading corp. that boasted 750% annual growth – went down in flames. In 24 days it went from the pride of Houston to a stain on the country - pulling millions out of the economy, devastating its employees, and la ... Show More
58m 57s
Jan 2019
Enron
Mike tells Sarah how a "bad apples” explanation kept us from seeing the real scandal at the heart of America's largest corporate bankruptcy. Digressions include “Casino,” Thanksgiving economics and corruption catchphrases. Neither co-host truly understands how the stock market wo ... Show More
1h 17m
Sep 2021
The Collapse of Lehman Brothers | Lawrence and Larry | 1
Lehman Brothers, the world’s 4th largest investment bank, recorded billions in profits year after year, until September of 2008 when the Wall Street giant was forced to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy, triggering a global financial meltdown. The collapse of Lehman Brothers is a cau ... Show More
37m 27s